Outboard motor carrier



June 10, 1958 I w. D. SOSALLA 2,

OUTBOARD MOTOR CARRIER 1 Filed Nov. 29, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,6 WilliamD. Sosa/la INVENTOR.

Y (WW 3% Q June 10, 1958 w. D. SOSALLA 2,838,320

OUTBOARD MOTOR CARRIER Filed lov. 29, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 William D.Sosa/la INVENTOR.

BY a /15% vn edsw Pat QUTBOARD MOTOR CARRIER William D. Sosalla,Minot,N. Dak. Application November-'29, 1955, Serial No. 549,669

' mam, (o1. Hit-47,24)

This invention relates to dollies and particularly to a dolly which is.capable of. transporting and storing an outboard motor.

Anobject of this invention is to provide an outboard motor carrierarranged to protect the more delicate parts and finish of an outboardmotor while in transit from one location to another and particularlywhileinthe trunk of an automobile. The present invention has for afurther purpose the provision of an outboard motor carrier which islight in weight and compact, these ends being achieved by having anextremely simple construc tion.

A further object of the invention is to provide a versatile outboardmotor carrier which is capable of supporting the outboard'motor in anumber of positions for various reasons as for example supporting themotor in one position while it is being carried in the trunk of a motorvehicle and supporting the motor in another posi tion while it is beingadjusted or repaired, these being for: compactness; for'the protectionof the motor and for convenience as well as for other reasons, aswillbecome apparent to those who handleoutboard motors.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide anoutbdard motorcarrier which includes a handle to one end of which there isa'transverse axle connected, the axle having wheels at the ends thereof,whereby a portion of the handle and both wheels constitute a three pointbase on which to support the. outboard motor, this position beingparticularly useful in transporting the outboard motor inasmuch as thehandle may be made of such length that it protrudes from one end of themotor scarcely an appreciable distance, and in this way the volumeoccupied by the motor while it is being in transit is increased aminimal amount.

A further object of the invention is to provide a motor carrier which iscapable of supporting an outboard motor as described previously, andwhich has the outboard motor clamp support arranged at an angle to thehandle and located adjacent to the junction of the handle with the axleso that when the outboard motor is attached to the artificial transomformed by the motor support, the sturdy skeg of the outboard motorconstitutes one point of ground contact while the other two points ofground contact are the wheels of the carrier so that when the outboardmotor is carried from one place 'to another on the carrier, it is easilyretained in an'upright, rest position by placing the skeg on thesupporting surface.

Patented June 10,1958

r. ICC

. 2 7 described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to likeparts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the motor carrier showing it in thesuggested position for transporting the outboard motor in the trunk of amotor vehicle; 7

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the outboard motor carrier showing itsupporting an outboard motor with the skeg of the motor serving as onepoint of ground contact, whereby this position of the motor carrierserves as a support for the outboard motor during which time the motormay be serviced or repaired;

Figure 3 is a top view of theoutboard motor carrier; Figure 4 is a sideview of'the motor carrier'in Fig ure 3; Figure 5 is an enlargedsectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3 and in the direction ofthe arrows;

and

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 6- 6 of Figure3 and in the direction of the arrows,

showing the outer endfof the handle and the junction In this way allother parts and the finish of the outboard motor is protected frommarring or injury.

Another object of the invention is to provide an outboard motor carrierwhich has as the sole support of the outboard motor, a single handlerising from the wheel base on which an artificial transom is fastened,this single handle having a removable extension to facilitate handlingof the carrier.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter The carrier ltlhas two wheels 24 and26 that are mounted for rotation on an axle 28. Bearing 30 accommodatesaxle28 and comprises two pipes 32 and 34 which are secured at theirconfronting ends to a T-fitting 36. This T fitting has a handle 38threaded to it and there'- fore the handle extends from the axle and thebearing 30 at right angles thereto. Outboard motor support 40 isattached-to handle 38 near the lower end thereof. The support 40consists of a board 42 bolted to a bracket 44, the latter includingparallel plates 46 and 48 and a cross member that is welded or otherwiserigidly fixed to the handle 38. The parallel plates 46 and 48 form apocket into whichthe board 42 is fitted before it is bolted. Theseplates project from the handle'38 at an angle sloped upwardly of thehandle. The outboard motor support 40 constitutes an artificial transomfor the outboard motor 12 inasmuch as its stern clamp 20 is adapted tobe secured to the board 42 thereof.

Two loops 52 and 54 are welded or otherwise fixed to the handle 38 andthey are spaced from each other in order to provide an option for theuser. These loops constitute means for attaching the flexible fastener,as strap 56 to the handle'38. This strap has a bracket or other standardexpedient for holding the ends fastened together. The purpose of strap56 is to help support the outboard motor 12 by wrapping it around theoutboard motor. Inasmuch as both loops 52 and 54 are provided, they maybe used simultaneously, although ordinarily only a single strap 56 andtherefore a single loop will be necessary. In other instances noadditional support may be necessary for theoutboard motor, it beingsimply v In use the outboard motor is secured to the outboard motorsupport 40 by having clamp 20 tightened thereon. For transporting theoutboard motor from one place to another in a motor vehicle .or ,otherform ,of transportationthe outboard motor ,12is swung about its pivot 22in order to decrease the vertical height of the assembly Whentheoutboardmotor is at;a rest position (Figure '1). This position .is establishedas a three point base with the outer end of handle 38 serving as onetpointpf contact and the wheels 24 and 26 functioning -as the other twopoints. The entire vertical height and volume oc cupied by the outboardmotor with the carrier .attached in this position is scarcely greaterthan the .outboard motor alone.

In transporting the outboard "motor manually from one location toanother, the handle extension 38 is attached to the coupling sleeve60and .the .carrier is raised to approximately the position shown inFigure 2. In this arrangement the skeg 16 of the motor is closest to thefloor or ground and serves as a bumper whereby the propeller of themotor is protected. When in the position of Figure 2, the outboard motoris easily moved from one location to another, it'being supported on thewheels 24 and 26 of the carrier 10. In .order to work on the outboardmotor or store it or retain it in an approximately upright position forany reason, the dolly handle extension is simply moved forward until theskeg 16 contacts the supporting surface of the dolly, for example, the,floor or ground. In this position the skeg 16 serves as one point ofcontact, while the other two points are established by the wheels 24 and26.

When an outboard motor is mounted upon the carrier as shown in Figure 1in order tobe carried in the trunk of a motor vehicle, the spark plugsand cylinder head of the motor remain above the level of the propeller.This is an important feature in two-cycle water-cooled outboard engines,because it prevents the undrained water of :the cooling system fromtraveling up the exhaust pipe. If water traveling up the exhaust pipeenters the cylinders through the open exhaust ports and causescorrosion, damaging of the smooth surfaces and hard starting of theengine.

When a motor is mounted upon the carrier as disclosed in Figure 2 of thedrawings, the entire weight rests upon the wheels with a very low centerof gravity. Only a balancing force is required by the operator and,accordingly, the handling of the carrier with the outboard motor thereonbecomes much simpler than with other outboard motor carriers thatsupportthe motor with its center of mass a greater distance from the axle thanshown in Figure 2.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur .to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed ,as new is ,as follows:

In an outboard motor carrier, the combination of a pair of wheels, anaxle on which said wheelsare mounted for rotation, a hearingintermediate ,the ends of said axle and located between said wheels, asingle elongated handle ,secured to said bearing and protrudinglaterally of said axle, a support for the clamp of the. outboard motorlocated in a plane which formsan acute angle with respect to thelongitudinal axis of said handle and rigidly secured to said handleintermediate the ,ends of the handle, a generally U-shaped brackethaving parallel spaced plates and a cross member connected to saidplates, said cross member fixed to said handle, and said motor supportdisposed between said parallel plates and secured thereto whereby saidbracket rigidly secures said outboard motor clamp motor to said handle.

References Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,254,778 Comfort Jan. 29, 1918 2,200,921 Granell May 14, .19402,483,908 Jackson .Oct. .4, 1949 2,662,777 Wilchek Dec. .15, 19532,723,130 Andrews Nov. 8, 1955 2,745,673 Koepke et al. May 15, 1956

